THE BIG IDEA:
As Alabama school districts spend over $3.14 billion in COVID relief, they must provide transparency, engage their communities, and assess the impact of their spending at every turn.
Alabama is receiving over $3 billion in federal COVID relief for K-12 schools.
Nationwide, public schools are receiving an unprecedented influx in federal funds to address the challenges resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the course of three rounds, Alabama schools received a grand total of $3.14 billion dollars, an unparalleled figure. This is a moonshot moment for our state’s public education system to increase academic outcomes for all students and address long-standing inequities. It is critical that we spend these funds in a targeted, data-driven, and student-centered way.
In order for school systems to spend these funds effectively, it will be critical that they provide transparency, engage their communities at every step, and assess the impact of their spending as it happens.
KEY TERMS:
Unfinished Learning / Learning Loss
CARES I & CARES II
CARES II: Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, passed December 2020